The United States State Department has determined that a controversial Israeli military unit accused of mistreating Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has addressed the alleged rights violations within its ranks. As a result, the unit has been cleared to continue receiving US military aid.
The decision comes after Washington called for a probe into the unit’s conduct, following accusations that Israeli soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda battalion were involved in the 2022 death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American, Omar Assad.
Assad died of a heart attack after being detained by the unit in the West Bank.
In a statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the department had thoroughly reviewed new information provided by the Israeli government and determined that “violations by this unit have also been effectively remediated.”
The Netzah Yehuda battalion was set up in 1999 to accommodate the religious beliefs of ultra-Orthodox Jewish and other religious nationalist recruits in the Israeli army.
It has been the subject of numerous allegations of abuse and mistreatment of Palestinians over the years.
The Leahy Laws, which prohibit the US from providing military assistance to individuals or units that commit gross human rights violations, were invoked in this case.
The State Department has now concluded that the unit can continue receiving security assistance from the United States.
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This decision is likely to draw criticism from human rights groups and some members of the US Congress, who have previously called for action against the Netzah Yehuda battalion.
The Biden administration has emphasized the importance of maintaining close security cooperation with Israel, despite ongoing concerns over the treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
